Archive for February, 2008

We’re going to be doing some cleanup around here on Saturday afternoon, upgrading to the latest version of our blogging software and doing some general tidying up of the code. Omiru will be down for maintenance for a few hours starting late tomorrow afternoon, and (if all goes well) we’ll be back up and running in the evening.

In this era of status handbags and designer logos, it’s easy to overlook the weekend workhorse handbag: the casual bag. You know the one. The bag that totes your sunglasses and dog-eared book to the park. The bag that stashes all of your bite-size purchases at the mall. The bag that carries your chocolate bars and cheese wedges back from the grocery store.

For those times when a casual bag will do, we present five handbag options, one as cheap as $15–and all under $50.

Clockwise from Left:AE Bike Tote | $24.50 at American EagleGot to love a biker’s bag with a bike logo, right down to the heart "gear."

Q: Girls Night Out is approaching! AGENDA: Find some beautiful boys while consuming beautiful cocktails. WHERE: A lounge or two, possibly a bar…and then a nightclub for some all night dancing. I want to look extremely classy, stand out from the crowd, but not look like a prude. What should I wear?

A:
For Girls Night Out, your object is to look gorgeous–but not overly sexy. Like you said, you want to stand out from the crowd, but you also want to look classy. Here’s three style tips to keep in mind as you get dressed:

(1) Show a little skin–but not too much. Pick an area of the body to highlight and stick with it. If you wear a low-cut blouse, show a little less leg, and vice versa. (2) Stand out with color. To look classy but still stand out, attract attention with bright colors instead of bare skin. Bright green, orange, yellow, and even purple will also help your friends find you in a crowded nightclub.(3) Wear comfortable shoes. If you’re going to be out all night dancing, we can’t stress this enough. Wear the wrong shoe, and your feet will be screaming by the time you hit the nightclub. Low heels are recommended, but you know how much of a heel you can handle.

Pictured above are three outfit ideas to get you started:

Left: The revealing minidress is balanced out by the knee-high boots. A headband adds a dash of cute to the otherwise sexy outfit.Middle: Works if you have to go straight from work to dinner with the girls. Keep the top buttoned up during the day, but come nighttime, you can undo the top two or three buttons. Right: We paired a form fitting pencil skirt with a gorgeous purple halter top for a sophisticated nightclub look.

A: Whether you’re a college undergrad or you’re a working guy looking for a breezily chic weekend look, here’s what to wear with brown skate shoes:

Jackets: Bring out the color of the shoes with a casual jacket in a dark brown or chocolate brown hue.Shirts: With the dark brown skate shoes, you can wear anything from a t-shirt to a polo shirt to a button-down sport shirt. We like the look of a brightly colored polo (in cobalt blue, bright green, or even orange).Pants: Jeans are a no-brainer, as their casualness matches the attitude of the shoes–but don’t discount khakis or cords here for a little variety.Accessories: For an extra punch, you can add a secondary bolt of color with a brightly colored belt.

Have a great tip about what to wear with skate shoes? Share it with us in the comments!

Editor’s Note: We were inspired by the equal 50-50 split on last week’s fishnet stockings poll, so we’re taking this opportunity to show the 50% of you who were pro-fishnets how to best wear this trend. And perhaps these tips will turn around some of the fishnet naysayers.

Fishnet stockings used to be reserved for a hot night out at the club or a late night rendezvous (or other equally racy events). But now they’re making their way into more mainstream wardrobes. How do you wear fishnets without looking trashy? Three simple tips:

(1) Choose a fishnet stocking with a fine mesh. The finer the mesh, the less racy the stockings appear.(2) Pair the stockings with clothing that’s more sophisticated than sexy. If you’re wearing a dress or skirt, a hem that’s around knee-length or longer is ideal. Pants pair well with fishnet stockings–it’s especially fetching when you can see just a hint of stocking showing.(3) Slip on a pair of closed-toe shoes. Boots are great, but most closed-toe shoes will do the trick. An open-toe shoe looks silly with fishnet stockings–or really any stockings (if it’s warm enough to wear an open-toe shoe, why are you wearing stockings?).

Have a great tip about how to wear fishnet stockings? Share it with us in the comments!

Editor’s Note: We’re making a slight (but meaningful) change to our poll starting this week based on your answers to our reader survey. Identifying which trends you actually want to wear
(whether they’re in or not) is more relevant to "real style for real
people" than figuring out which trends are In or Out. So instead of asking if a given trend is In or Out, we’re asking whether you’d wear it or not. Hope this provides you with more meaningful information!We asked: Are Fishnets In or Out?

You said: In…and Out. Both got 50% of the vote.Style tip? Though acceptable to wear, fishnet stockings exude sexiness. Should you choose to wear fishnets, make sure that your overall look isn’t overtly racy. Try: fishnets with closed-toe shoes, boots, knee-length skirts, or even pants. Avoid: skirts that are significantly shorter than knee-length, open-toed shoes.

Next question: Cocoon coats featured prominently on the runways at fashion week, but they’re not the most figure flattering. Would you wear them? Cast your
vote on the sidebar!